Question

Gopnik stated that there is a correlation between a long childhood and intelligence. What did she mean by that?

Answer 1

Gopnik stated that there is a correlation between a long childhood and intelligence as humans have a much longer childhood than any other primate—twice as long as chimps. According to fossil teeth records this long childhood evolved in tandem with our big brains as we have a longer childhood than Neanderthals. We have developed special adaptations to care for those helpless children—“pair-bonding” and “alloparents.” The human lifespan has been expanded at both ends—longer childhood and a longer old age. According to the anthropologists, grandmothers are a key to the evolution of learning and culture. They are crucial for the survival of those helpless children and they also could pass on two generations worth of knowledge. Thus according to Gopnik an increased i.e. the longer childhood is associated with more care leading to higher intelligence.